Top Louisiana Dems Want To Rig Elections

Well this has been predicted since the day after the storm…. The Secretary of State, who will probably be the next head of the Louisiana Democratic Party, wants to postpone the next election over half a year to help Democrats…

Is the postponement of the Orleans municipal election a form of political engineering? Secretary of State Al Ater announced Friday that the February 4th New Orleans election is impossible, given the physical destruction in that parish. But this buys more time for the state to track down displaced New Orleans voters, most of whom are democrats.

Al Ater says the New Orleans election for mayor, city council, sheriffs, and other city-parish positions will be held sometime before September 30th. There’s a lot of work to be done, like repositioning voting machines and commissioners, and making sure evacuees know when, where and how to cast their vote.

What is interesting here is that New Orleans will host Mardi Gras for 8 days just a few days after the election that they just can’t manage to hold. We can’t figure out how to run a 10 hour election but we can have Mardi Gras for 8 days?

And WHY can’t Orleans Parish have their elections? It’s George Bush’s fault.

Ater says the postponement is based purely on physical problems. Hurricane Katrina destroyed voting machines and precincts and displaced commissioners… all problems he’s asked FEMA to help solve, but so far FEMA hasn’t come through with a $1.2 million request.

“I’m not trying to stand up here and blast FEMA, I’m just stating facts. We have gotten nothing,” said Ater.

And he backed down by the time he gave this interview… In earlier interviews he blamed FEMA even more.

BUT HERE IS THE KICKER!

Ater admits it will only take a few months to solve election problems in New Orleans, but he’s given up to nine months for the Orleans election to be set. This gives more time for evacuees to move home and for the state to track those who don’t. Shortly after Katrina, political consultant Roy Fletcher predicted democrats would do this.

“The Ninth Ward elected Kathleen Blanco, the Ninth Ward elected Mary Landrieu, the Ninth Ward has elected a lot of statewide elected officials who are democrats,” said Fletcher.

Well, that’s simple. Don’t have elections until you know you can win them. How convenient.

The Democratic poll numbers are HORRIFIC, with one recent poll showing that only 19% wanted to vote for Blanco again. So now the Democrats want to delay the election. For years they have bussed the blacks to the polls (illegally) and given them a hot dog and a T-shirt in exchange for their votes. Mary Landrieu is infamous for this – well, that and for carrying the dead vote.

They admit they don’t need the time to have a fair election, they want the extra time to rig the results. The final decision rest with the Governor. She has said she will rubber stamp whatever the Democratic Secretary of State suggests. (How convenient.)

Words simply can not describe how vile this is. The people of New Orleans are at the lowest point in their lives and all the Democrats can think of is retaining their power. Never has a vote in New Orleans been more important than the ones that will be cast in February.

Louisiana and New Orleans don’t need NEW leadership… We just need leadership. Period. When the stooges we have up there do manage to make a decision, it is more often than not the wrong one. To deny the people of New Orleans the right to choose their leaders right now is akin to denying them food and water. They are equally as essential for survival.

Democrats at all levels should be ashamed of this plot. Every election the Democrats use the word “disenfranchised” repeatedly. Yet at the time when people are most in need of being “enfranchised” the Democrats would deny them their vote just to keep political power. It’s repulsive.

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25 Comments

edmcgonDecember 3, 2005

The best part of this is that if the Republicans win the next election in a close race, the Democrats can still scream voter fraud, even though the fraud was actually committed by the Democrats. Proving once again that when it comes to corruption, the Republicans can’t hold a candle to the Democrats.

This says a lot about what Democrat politicians think of their supporters. I think the exact same thing about them, short attention spans, not a bit of sense, so used to corruption they barely notice it and willing to vote for a hot dog and a t-shirt. Those supporters get offended when I say it, when the people the vote for demonstrate it so clearly like they are now it doesn’t bother them a bit. When I call them idiots they get mad, their politicians prove they are and they couldn’t care less. Go figure.

Corky BoydDecember 3, 2005

Paul,

I hope you follow up with what the Republicans and others who don’t like rigged elections are doing. Surely the courts will be an avenue, but how does the NO Times Picayune feel about it. After blasting Bush in the immediate aftermnth of Katrina, they are now running articles on the political motivations of Blanco in trying to shift the blame to the feds.

As in, well stated about the misery and corruption that, unfortunately, N.O. and the state of Louisiana are plagued with and by. But it’s a crying shame.

Democrats…we conservatives do resort to repeating ourselves but Democrats do concern themselves with their need for power and rule rather than principle and character. And blame anyone accordingly who shines any light on their ruthlessness and betrayals (FEMA certainly did, as did nearly any/all who even tried to follow along with much of anything Blanco has said and done since becoming nationally known, as with, also, earlier, Landrieau [spelled?]). I’m still exasperated about California, what with the Democrats’ strangle hold on taxes and their insistence on Marxism and socialism and that everyone else subject themselves to that form of “rule,” so my faith-o-meter in Democrats is below empty as I write this. Yet again, again, unfortunately.

But, I’m not sorry, Pelosi, just bordering on being traumatized.

Joseph KennedyDecember 3, 2005

While your general thesis is correct, the real problem with holding an election on time is that the busses have not been repaired or relplace. It is hard to bus $5 voters around to all of their polling places if the busses are flooded. There will be not vote until all the busses have been replaced at federal expense. That is why it is so important to blame FEMA in the hope of getting new busses.

BrassDecember 3, 2005

Now we know why they tried to circumvent the 2nd amendment. That amendment was designed to protect the people from the government when the govenment refuses to hold elections or step aside when the election goes against them. I hope the Republican party brings suit against the Dems, and I hope they win.

Now, you could argue that they are not refusing to hold elections, however, not holding them in a timely matter just to ensure a specific result is just as egregious in my eyes. The populace needs to stand up and be heard on this issue.

LibraryLadyDecember 3, 2005

I live in Louisiana and sadly anything you can imagine in political corruption probably only scratches the surface here.
There are many running jokes about New Orleans. Two are:

1. If Kathleen Blanco had been as good at bussing people to safety as she was bussing them to the polls, no one would have died in New Orleans.

2. Why do they bury people above ground in New Orleans? Easier to get them to the polls to vote.

Les NessmanDecember 3, 2005

Postpone the elections? Imagine what would happen if this happened in Iraq? : “Quagmire!” “Pull our troops out now!”

Sorry, just trying to hold the LA Dems to the same ‘standards’ that the MSM holds Bush to.

And in the interim, will these displaced new Orleans voters be voting in state and local elections in the places where they are evacuated?

For example, will they be voting in Texas primaries in March?

What if they are still evacuated in September? Does their registration and participation in Texas (or where ever) prevent them from voting in the September election?

And what about November 2006 — will they be permitted to vote absentee in New Orleans and in person in the location where they are residing? Will Hurricane Katrina give rise to a legally recognized system of “one person, two votes”?

epadorDecember 3, 2005

Hmmmm. So the underlying theory is that Dems are more likely to remain displaced than Republicans? Is this purely an economic trait, or is it a concept of who is most able and motivated to return early is less likely to vote for the current establishment…

Maybe I’m missing something. What exactly is wrong with waiting until as many New Orleanians as possible are back?

If a huge chunk of your city is missing, then yes you should postpone. Sorry if that screws up some Republicans’ hopes of sneaking in while poor, Democrat-voting New Orleanians are stuck elsewhere.

donaldDecember 4, 2005

Well Shannon, I see you didn’t get the civics lesson from 2000. See they got these things called laws, (In the case of elections, local nd federal). Republicans kinda sorta believe in the rule of law, democrats…it’s still 1930 and Huey Long is the boss of bosses. Please God, read a book why dontcha!?

If a huge chunk of your city is missing, then yes you should postpone.

As Donald points out, there are laws, for example, elected officials’ terms EXPIRE on a certain date — and I have a strong feeling that with elections normally held in February those expiration dates probably come before September.

In a legitimate emergency it might make sense to have the legislature pass a onetime statute permitting officials to remain in office a little longer, but I’m with Paul: if you can stage Mardi Gras on schedule, you can hold a goddamn election on schedule.

In a legitimate emergency it might make sense to have the legislature pass a onetime statute permitting officials to remain in office a little longer, but I’m with Paul: if you can stage Mardi Gras on schedule, you can hold a goddamn election on schedule.

Is this not a “legitimate emergency?” Anyway, the Mardi Gras thing is a red herring. This will not be a big touristy Mardi Gras, believe you me. Several of the krewes are canceling and several more big ones are moving out of the city. This Carnival is going to be about locals doing what we do. I wouldn’t be surprised if the vibe is similar to the 1979 police strike, where all the big krewes were canceled, but people took to the street anyway.

Besides, the issue is not really with lack of resources. Just a few months to solve election problems, right? But, as the post itself says, tons of New Orleanians are not there (yes, most of whom are Dems). Do you really think it’s a good idea to hold a major election that will affect the future of the city when most of the city isn’t there? When thousands of displaced voters are stuck who-knows-where, unable to return?

The city needs to be PRESENT for an election to take place. Not just the people who were lucky or rich enough to return already.

Just to be clear, I don’t belong to any party, and I can’t stand Blanco or really anybody in LA politics. I’m just don’t approve of turning this into a partisan issue, and I can’t imagine you folks saying the same thing if it were Republicans doing it. I think postponing the election is a neccessary evil if it means all New Orleanians get a chance to vote.

p.s. donald… “Read a book??” I would have responded to you (besides this post script, of course), but I don’t encourage condescension. Show some manners. It’ll get you far.

CCDecember 5, 2005

You guys are idiots. The people of New Orleans deserve a chance to vote in their next election. If they’re displaced all around the country, how are they supposed to vote? New Orleans needs time to get things together. It doesn’t take an entire city to have a parade, but it does take an entire city to vote.

I stunned by your stupidity. Voting is about what the majority wants, not what the lucky/rich few who have managed to get their lives in order want.

The democrats aren’t just trying to get democrats back. They’re trying to get everyone back for a fair vote.

donaldDecember 5, 2005

Sorry Shannon, but I mean it. It’s an easy canard to say I don’t like whomever, but the lack of acknowledgement of how our system works is apalling to me, and the ease with which people will throw it away for whatever purposes has reached a fever pitch.

Also, elections are not about giving the majority what they want. It’s about choosing representatives for population centers in governments. See if we gave the majority what they wanted, then this would be a democracy as opposed to a democratic rep…oh never mind, I realize it’s over too many people’s heads…I’ll run along now.

Except for this last note, the last thing New Orleans and Louisiana needs is more of the same governance it has had from it’s inception I guess. The democratic party has destroyed my city and I’m pretty damned bitter about it.

As a partisan Republican, I must admit that I don’t have too much trouble understanding why election officers would want to give residents more time to either return to the city to vote or obtain an absentee ballot. I’m not saying that the actual people making these decisions aren’t doing it for otherwise corrupt purposes, and I abhor the systemic corruption for which LA is infamous. But if only 10% of your city is present and you don’t know where the other 90% are located, it makes it pretty hard to have a “representative” election.

Put the shoe on the other foot and see how it fits.

Oh, and donald: “…oh never mind, I realize it’s over too many people’s heads…” Get over yourself.

donaldDecember 5, 2005

It is frightening that the level of understanding of how this country is constructed is minimal and it is leading to the destruction of the country. Bottom line, every person that calls this country a democracy is referring to mob rule which is kind of cool if you are in the big mob, not so good if you’re not. It is disgusting and it needs to be called everytime it is exhibited.

Since 2000 the Democrats (I’m looking at you, Ted Rall) have been saying Bush would cancel elections to maintain power, claiming a terror alert or whatever. Then they said the elections in Iraq would have to be put off (things aren’t exactly calm there). In each case elections went off with few hitches without a whiff from Republicans about delaying them.

Now this. Interesting story, Paul. Thanks for bringing it to light outside of LA.

And to be honest, if this were coming from a city and administration (that of NO and the state of LA) that wasn’t famous for political corruption, it would be a hell of alot easier to not ascribe shady motives.
But it is New Orleans. If it walks, quacks and looks like a duck…

In Hurricane ravaged Louisiana, drowning in water and political corruption, money flows to build 14 new Reservoirs. Gov. Kathleen Blanco supports waste of Billions with 150 natural and 30 man-made existing lakes.

Politicians using Eminent Domain and tax money are profiting. In 2001, Rep. Francis C. Thompson created House-Bill 1136 allowing sale of land taken by Eminent Domain to Third-Party. Thompson’s Cypress Cove at Poverty Point-LLC and his next-door neighbor are now selling Lakefront-lots.

Rep. Thompson is creating Reservoirs in Richland, Ouachita, Allen, Caldwell, Morehouse, and promoted them in Washington and other Parishes with $41,975,000 approved for 12 in 2004, and $55.2 million in 2005.

Poverty Point Reservoir, created 1992 by Rep. Thompson with brother Michael Thompson as consultant, built by Denmon Engineering has cost taxpayers $40 Million Dollars with $3.5 million approved for 2005.

Taxpayers paid $1.2 million for Poverty Point Island Lots development with $2.2 million keyed gate entry private road sold for $621,200 dollars to Thompson’s neighbor.

Mike Thompson in real estate, former Delhi Mayor now Consultant receives $100,000 a year per lake for Allen, Washington, Morehouse, Caldwell, LaSalle, and has proposed Reservoirs in Ouachita, Jackson and Lincoln parishes. Nepotism, Cronyism, conflicts of interest, and ethics violations seem to exist.

Sen. Ben Nevers co-partner corporations with Commission, and Rep. Ritchie may profit from desecration of 5 cemeteries to build Washington Parish Reservoir. Should homes of old-poor and Churches be taken, Cemeteries destroyed, and Taxpayers spend $40-50 million a lake to make developers wealthy?

Sorry Shannon, but I mean it. It’s an easy canard to say I don’t like whomever, but the lack of acknowledgement of how our system works is apalling to me, and the ease with which people will throw it away for whatever purposes has reached a fever pitch.

Better to postpone an election so everyone affected can vote than to ignore habeas fucking corpus? Oh, that’s right. Repbublicans believe in the “rule of law.” I guess that doesn’t count, you partisan hack. Look at reality. If no one’s there, no one can vote. Pull your head out for a sec and look around.

rylanJanuary 10, 2006

It’s pretty obvious that conservatives are salivating over the possibility of taking over our state and New Orleans in particular…..the question is…..why would they want a city that has been decimated? Unless……they want to control all the money that will be spent rebuilding.. mainly.. ..making sure that it goes to their own interests and not those of people they disapprove of. They also can’t wait to start “experimenting” on the people of new orleans…an absolutely insulting notion to anyone who must live there. And I thought conservatives didn’t believe in social engineering and all that gobbledygook.

Liz StokesApril 1, 2006

Washington Parish in Louisiana was hard hit by the Katrina hurricane, but no one seems to know that we are here, except to talk about a resort reservoir that they want to put in my community. I am sick of hearing of all the waste of money that has gone on in this state. And all the politicians making money off from everything they do. Louisiana needs to be watched by the Federal Gov’t before they give them any money for anything. All Gov. Blanco talks about is New Orleans being rebuilt. I was always told you don’t build on sinking sand. Maybe that is why so much land was destroyed down there. It was made a big city by filling the areas of water with dirt. That tells me it wasn’t meant to be. We don’t need a reservoir, they didn’t need a Mardi Gras and we do need to change a lot of politicians. I wish we could start tomorrow. It most go from the top all the way to the parishes. I wish someone would come up with some brighter ideas then our politicians in this state has. Almost makes you want to move.